Reed-organ



(No Model.)

M OLARK. REED ORGAN.

No. 394,247. Patented Dec. 11. 1888.

N. PEYERS. Pmwumo m m. wmin m. ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

MELYILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REED-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,247, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed May 14, 1888. Serial No. 273,860- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reed-Organs, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accom 'ianying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to enlarge the reeds employed in a reed-organ, thereby increasing the volume and improving the tone of the organ without increasing unduly the amount of mechanism in the action, and withoutincreasing at all the number of connec tions at which less of motion may occur or noise be caused in the action.

In reed-organs, wherein the valves which control the admission of air to the reeds, respectively, are placed each directly below the corresponding key on the manual, being only wide enough to occupy the space available below each key, making allowance always for the walls between the reeds, the pitman or plunger-pin which operates each valve is directly below and is operated directly by its corresponding key on the manual.

In order to use wider reeds, it will be seen that, although any selected reed might be placed directly below its corresponding key, the remaining reeds on either side of the selected one would have to be placed successively farther and farther from positions directly below their respective keys, the lateral distance of each reed from its key being greater as the reed is farther either way from the selected reed which was taken as a starting-point.

In order to accommodate the action to this fact, I provide arms which are rigidly attached, respectively, to the under side of the keys toward the rear end. The arm of the middle key, which is directly above its reed and valve, extends parallel with the key directly under it and actuates the pitmen. In the case of the remaining keys toward either side the arm attached to each key is made longer than the preceding, and such arm diverges from the direction of the key outward-that is, away from the middle key of the manual-the divergence increasing as the distance of the key from the center of the manual increases, the similarly-increasing length of each arm, however, causing the unattached ends of such arms to be all in line and their length and I divergence being such as to bring said unattached ends of each directly above the valve which. controls the reed corresponding to the key to which the arm pertains, and to the ends of the said arms, respectively, are attached the pitmen which directly actuate said valves.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a manual with the keys partly broken away to show the rigid diverging arms which actuate the pitmen, and through them the valves. 2 is a vertical section parallel with the length of the keys.

A represents the wind-chest; ii, the valves; C, the several mutes; I), the swells covering the same; E, the reeds; F, the pitmen; G, the white keys and II the black keys, and N the rigid arms of the keys, respectively, which, except in the case of the middle key of the manual, diverge from the direction of their respective keys toward the outside.

In order that the keys may be easily leveled up and maintained level, I prefer to connect the pitmen to the arms N by threading the upper ends of the pitmen and screwing them through the threaded holes in the arms, as illustrated, and fixing them at the proper point by jam-nuts n.

I clai1n- 1. In a reed-organ, in combination with the several keys of the manual and with their respective reeds and corresponding valves, rigid arms N, secured to the under side of the keys, and the pitmen operated by said rigid arms and operating the valves, respectively, substantially as set forth.

In a reed-organ, in combination with the manual and the series of reeds corresponding thereto and occupying more space laterally than the manual, and with the valve which controls the admission of air to said reeds and the pitmen which actuate said valves, rigid arms N, secured to the keys, respectively, the arm of a certain selected key which is located directly above its corresponding valve being directly under said key, and all other of said IOO arms diverging laterally from their respective ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set keys, substantially as and for the purpose set my hand, in the presence of two Witnesses, at IO forth. Chicago, this 24th (lay of April, A. D. 1888. 3. II; combination with the lieys hav ng; the MELVILLE CLARK aims l\ the valy es correspondlng to said keys,

and the pitmen secured, respectively, to the Witnesses:

arms N and vertically adjustable at such se- CHAS. S. BURTON,

curement, substantially as set forth. JEAN ELLIOTT. 

